Science

Updated: 12:52 EST

The strange 'ice cream swirls' at the Martian North Pole

NEW Mars Express has revealed the Red Planet’s north polar ice cap and its distinctive dark spiralling troughs in unprecedented detail.The giant troughs are caused by freezing and melting carbon dioxide, and get their distinctive shape from spiralling winds similar to hurricanes on earth. The mosaic was generated from 32 individual orbit ‘strips’ captured between 2004 and 2010, and covers an area of around a million square kilometres.

NEW A study of school pupils by scientists at the University of Michigan has found that our social interactions appear to play a key role in helping to shape our personalities as children.

NEW Researchers at the University of Helsinki and Aalto university have found that empathetic people interpret the facial expressions of dogs more intensely - and is they were humans.

NEW World leaders must do more to limit risk of global catastrophes, according to a report by the Future of Humanity Institute (FHI) at Oxford University (stock image).

NEW Boeing has hired a small company to make about 600 3D-printed parts for its Starliner space taxis. Oxford's parts will help Boeing lower costs and save weight on each seven-seat capsule.

Radiation levels inside a stricken reactor at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have hit a record high. Levels are so high that they could kill off robots sent in to probe the reactors (pictured).

The Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia has created the world's first 3D-printed bridge. The creation, which is 12 metres long, is printed on micro-refined concrete.

MailOnline Travel has scoured the internet and spoken to insiders at the Royal Aeronautical Society and carriers such as British Airways and EasyJet, to bring you amazing plane facts.

Two sex toys which belonged to the rich and powerful in ancient China will go on display in the United States. One device was found in the tomb of an aristocrat and the other belonged to a king.

Inside the BBC's 'Spy in the Wild': Incredible behind-the-scenes footage reveals how the ultra-realistic robots were made

The BBC's innovative 'Spy in the Wild' series ends tonight with a special episode on how they made the show's realistic fake animal cameras. Spy in the Wild deployed over 30 ultra-realistic animatronic Spy Creatures to go undercover in the animal world. The episode airs in the UK tonight at 7.30pm. Pictured is the Spy Pup robot.

The warning comes shortly after Florida-based Moon Express announced its plans to set up a mine on the moon to bring back precious resources, including metals and moon rocks.

California-based Uber has filed a patent for a feature that uses the social media profiles of UberPool riders to find mutual connections and interests between them for an easy ice-breaker.

The University of Manchester will brave the frigid environment of Antarctica to search for 'lost' meteorites in 2020. The iron meteorites are believed to hold clues to planetary creation.

Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has taken the first step of going public by filing paperwork with the SEC. The firm aims to raise $3 billion in the IPO and will trade on the NYSE as 'SNAP'.

Keen-eyed conspiracy theorists had spotted a strange circular object on Google Earth satellite images of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles earlier this week.

Researchers at Newcastle University found that people who find the sound of chewing, breathing, or numerous other conditions unbearable have a genuine brain abnormality.

The breathalyser, similar to the machines used by cops for roadside alcohol tests, uses sensors to identify biomarkers linked to the virus and indicate if the sufferer has flu or just wants a 'duvet day.'

US Navy funds MIT robotic JELLYFISH that can catch fish

NEW Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a transparent swimming robot made from a jelly-like material that can capture goldfish in its embrace (pictured left). Made of a water-based gel, it is almost completely transparent (pictured top right). Water is pumped through hollow tubes and structures made from hydrogel, allowing the robot to move rapidly. Its arms can quickly close to gently, but firmly grip live animals (pictured bottom right). The project has been partly funded by the US Office of Naval Research and could be developed further to provide a way of gently manipulating organs and tissue during surgery.

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What pot plant is the 1.8m carpet python wrapped around?

Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7 posted the image of six pot plants on its Facebook page on Friday - the question is can you spot which one has a snake hiding in it? It seems hard to fathom but one of the plants in the picture has a 1.8m carpet python wrapped around it. All you have to do is work out exactly where the resting reptile could be.

The UK Car Park Management (CPM) app allows people to anonymously take a picture of the car and its number plate, send it to the company then collect the fee when it is paid.

Some UK supermarkets, including Tesco and Morrisons, are rationing vegetables and are carrying a notice capping the number of lettuces customers can buy to just three per person.

Researchers at the University of Bristol suggest picky ants are more helpful to the colony for finding a new nest because they would be more likely to visit more locations before settling.

The University of Oxford found two mechanism involved in decision making. One increases the amount of necessary information need to make a choice and the other lowers the threshold.

Researchers recently discovered a solitary ice volcano on the dwarf planet Ceres, but new research suggests there may have been others that slowly disappeared over millions of years.

Cameraman Kim Wolhuter was able to get extremely close to a family of cheetahs and follow their progress for nearly two years. He witnessed their fight for survival as the cubs grew older.

VR Bangers' POV Head Rig is equipped with stereoscopic cameras in the eyes, binaural sound microphones, and multiple cameras across its surface to achieve 4K resolution for 'intimate' moments.

An Australian diver and film-maker recorded the video of the moment an octopus suddenly puffed up, inflating itself with water, off the coast of Melbourne, Australia.

Vincent van BOT: Pocket-sized doodling robot draws almost 1,000 pre-sales in just 30 hours

The Line-us robot (main picture) was launched on Kickstarter by London-based designers and was fully-funded in just 30 hours. This mini robot is a USB-powered arm that connects to an app on smart phones, computers and tablets. Users can create their own sketches on screen or trace around photos on their device (top left) and the robot, called Line-up will recreate the image using pen and paper. The app also allows sketches to be sent to friends who also have the robot.

A meteorite found in Africa reveals Mars was home to erupting volcanoes for 2 billion years - nearly half its life. The planet is now said to have the longest-lived volcanoes in the solar system.

A wormhole is a type of bridge that could form when space time is folded. While wormholes have never been observed, A researcher at Ohio State University said that they could exist.

Researchers based at the University of Chicago and Monash University in Australia used the internet to reveal global sleep patterns. They found that Argentina and Spain get the most sleep.

A team of international researchers found that more than 100 of the 229 World Heritage sites are 'rapidly deteriorating' from human activity and forest loss and could soon be damaged beyond repair.

The latest beta release for Android suggests that this feature will soon be available to the app's 600 million global users. Instagram has not yet confirmed its roll out.

In a study on rats by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, the technique was found to encourage them to lower their usage of the deadly drug.

Scientists at Russia's Higher School of Economics have found evidence to show men with shorter index fingers and longer ring fingers are far more likely to achieve financial success.

Apple has patented two wearable batteries. One slots into the watch's strap, while another sits underneath the chassis and attaches to an existing strap (pictured).

Move over Gordon Ramsay! Google's latest update helps you discover new recipes by fine-tuning your searches

The Google app just got a little more sophisticated and has introduced a new recipe search feature. The algorithm automatically brings up related search terms like flavours and ingredients. Once you select which flavour or category you want to go for it suggests top recipes with simple instructions on how to make them.

Researchers discovered an ‘evolutionary marvel’ that suggests barbeled dragonfish are designed to engulf huge prey, with a joint in the head that allows them to open their mouths terrifyingly wide.

Dubbed asteroid 2017 BS32 - the space rock is believed to be between 11 and 25 metres (36 to 82 feet), or around the size of a double decker bus. It will pass Earth at 20:23 GMT (15:34 ET) today.

The' feature has finally come to the UK after being launched in the US in October 2016. Friends can comment with suggestions on your post and their advice will appear in a map.

Eating a diet rich in vegetable oil could be triggering diseases such as dementia. Nutritionist Dr Catherine Shanahan explains why, and how we can change our diets to avoid further damage.

Dan Giordano, of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy, explains how certain sitting positions and lack of blood flow do far more damage to your body shape than you think.

Researchers at Yale University have made a new material from liquid metal and magnetic particles. Researchers can use the material to recreate the powerful magnetic forces at the planet's core.

A new worldwide dating app has been announced that matches you with potential partners based on what you mutually hate. Whether it's slow walkers or butt selfies, there are many topics to pick from.

Researchers from the University of Exeter compared volunteers' movements with those of schizophrenia sufferers to help stop any similarities and potentially provide an early diagnosis.

Did ancient Egyptian scribes worship BABOONS?

Archaeologists have discovered a new tomb in Thebes, Egypt, belonging to a man described as a 'true renowned scribe', which was intricately decorated with carvings of baboons (main picture). They believe the baboons were the Royal scribe's muse, which is why they have taken pride of place in his tomb. Elsewhere in the tomb were colourful decorations depicting the scribe himself and his wife (inset top left). The hidden tomb was discovered when archaeologists from Waseda University were clearing rubble in the necropolis of Thebes, close to modern day Luxor.

Builders laying cables beneath the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, accidentally discovered and opened a Blue Peter time capsule that was buried under the Millennium Dome in 1998.

The 57-year-old Vulcan nuclear bomber - XH558 - flew for the last time in October 2015 after a summer delighting millions of people at air shows and fly-pasts around the UK.

Litter pickers clearing the River Thames said they found 2,500 plastic bottles and also issued a warning over wet wipes and cottonbud sticks which are 'polluting the water in huge numbers'.

Facebook's latest mobile feature, which is set to be rolled out globally, encourages users to swipe through the profiles of people attending the same events as them as well as people they work with.

The new study, published in the Neurology medical journal, reveals simply heading the ball is more likely to lead to injury which increase one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Munich have designed a probe that measures only a few inches and weighs just 100 grams (0.2lbs) that could explore the mysterious Proxima b in a little under 100 years.

An international team has created a blue-phase liquid crystal that will allow screens to pack in more pixels, with potential to achieve three-times the pixel count of Apple’s Retina Display.

Now you can take selfies from ANY angle! Tiny self-flying drone camera can be clipped onto your phone 

The 'SELFLY' drone phone case was invented by ex-Israeli orthodontist, Hagay Klein. Utilising smart camera technology SELFLY's nine-millimetre thick body uses high end stabilisation allowing it to autonomously fly. This means it can capture amazing views and even record videos from new perspectives.

Two luxury electric vehicles — the Tesla Model S and the BMW i3 — have fallen short of getting the highest safety ratings in new crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

DNA from the teeth (pictured) found in an Eastern Russian cave known as Devil's Gate indicates that there was no 'population turnover' in East Asian populations for well over seven millennia.

Researchers from the University of Lincoln say this is the first time the tortoises have been found to exercise judgement on the quality and quantity of food sources, rather than the sole location.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have found that the reason groundhog's emerge from hibernation in early February is to reestablish the bonds necessary for mating.

FILE - This May 13, 2014, file photo shows a row of Google self-driving Lexus cars at a Google event outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. California regulators release safety reports filed by 11 companies that have been testing self-driving car prototypes on public roads on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. The papers report the number of times in 2016 that human backup drivers took control from the cars' self-driving software, though companies argue such "disengagements" don't always reflect something going wrong. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Self-driving cars are getting better at negotiating California streets and highways without a human backup driver intervening, according to data made public Wednesday by California regulators.

Tesla Motors announced it has changed its corporate name to 'Tesla Inc' in a SEC filing. The move is to reflect its transformation from an automobile maker to a diversified energy products company.

Snap Inc. is reportedly developing ‘smart lenses’ that let users overlay virtual images and objects on landscapes and interact with them. It's said they are an advanced version of 'world lenses'.

An international team of researchers led by Queen Mary, University of London, analysed the genes of more than 500,000 people to identify the genes that make us little or large.

Keio University discover stray black hole in the Milky Way

It’s thought that there may be as many as 100 million to 1 billion black holes in the Milky Way – but, as light can’t escape from their confines, these objects are extremely difficult to spot. Now, researchers have revealed a new method that could transform the search for black holes. By analyzing the motion in an enigmatic gas cloud, the team discovered signs of a hidden black hole in our galaxy, and they say the method could be used to find others.

The number of people using Facebook monthly increased 17 percent to 1.86 billion ©LOIC VENANCE (AFP/File)

Facebook reported on Wednesday that its profit more than doubled in the final three months of last year as revenues climbed and its user base grew.

A U.S. jury in Texas on Wednesday ordered Facebook, its VR unit Oculus, and others to pay a combined $500 million to ZeniMax, a video game publisher that says Oculus stole its technology.

Researchers from the University of Toronto and the National Central University of Taiwan found a 195-million-year-old dinosaur rib bone with preserved proteins on it.

Backed by investors including controversial Trump backer Peter Thiel, Moon Express hopes to launch its first craft from Cape Canaveral  in Nov. or Dec. 2017 and win the Lunar X-Prize.

The Atlanta Falcons have got a bit of good news thanks to a researcher who went back and analyzed seven seasons of in-game data from every NFL matchup to create a probability model.

The researchers from Florida Atlantic University discovered the population at the 2.2 million acre Lomami National Park in Congo. Dryas monkeys are thought to be nearing extinction.

Amazon is set to open a $1.49 billion cargo air hub in Kentucky to take on FedEx and UPS. The hub will let Amazon handle more in-house shipping, allowing them two weed out third parties.

VR hack creates true 'mixed reality': Developers design app that combines HTC Vive and HoloLens to draw objects mid-air

A developer has designed a method that uses a HTC Vive headset and a Microsoft HoloLens headset to create a true 'mixed reality'. Drew Gottlieb designed a new app called HoloViveObserver that lets multiple people see the same virtual world while wearing the headsets. Players have the ability to collaborate using the same app, allowing them to build objects that hover in the air together.

Researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have made a wearable device that can predict if a conversation is happy or sad.

Deformed wing virus could have a devastating effect on global bee populations say scientists reporting in the Royal Society journal. The UN estimates that 40 per cent of pollinators are at risk of extinction.

Scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Canberra, Australia, have made the miracle material graphene (pictured) faster and cheaper than ever before.

Samsung has sent an official press invite to a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It features a picture of a mysterious device which is rumoured to be the Galaxy Tab S3.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot named Libratus that beat four of the word's best professional poker players at a casino in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

London-based expert Richard Grant claims to have unearthed the elusive text from a well-known ancient book of fables detailing Alexander the Great's mythical adventures.

The ultimate guide to the February night sky

Various astronomical events are occuring throughout the month, including a solar eclipse (pictured right) which will be seen over South America and Africa on February 26. Other events include the Alpha Centaurid meteor shower (stock image top left) on February 8, and a lunar eclipse (pictured bottom left) on February 10.

Apple sold 78.29 million iPhones in the first quarter ended Dec. 31, up from 74.78 million last year, marking the first quarterly growth in iPhone sales in a year.

An animal reserve in the Netherlands is having apes respond to images of their fellow creatures on a tablet, a programme dubbed 'Tinder for orangutans' by the Dutch press.

This image provided by Kansas State University shows the radiograph revealing the implantation of the pacemaker in the abdomen of a ferret at Kansas State University's Veterinary Health Center in Manhattan, Kan.  The ferret, named Zelda,  is recovering at home after receiving a heart pacemaker during a rare surgery at the university.  Owner Carl Hobi took Zelda to the Veterinary Health Center in Manhattan after Christmas because she was diagnosed with a third-degree block in her heart, which caused a low heart beat and a lack of energy. (Kansas State University via AP)

Zelda had a third-degree block in her heart, which caused a low heart beat and a lack of energy – but, thanks to the ground-breaking surgery, she’s expected to live out a full ten year ferret lifespan.

A study from MIT found that companies sold items for the same prices in their brick-and-mortar and online stores nearly three-quarters of the time. But drugstores will always charge more in-store.

New measurements, collected at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, have allowed researchers from Michigan University to see these neutrinos changing into different states.

Axiom Space has already been granted NASA approval to attach its first commercial module to the ISS in 2020, and the firm says this could eventually provide the building blocks for their own station.

Dead whale found to have 30 PLASTIC BAGS in its stomach

The whale was in poor condition, and had become stranded in shallow waters off the coast of Western Norway, leading to wardens putting the animal down (pictured main). Researchers from the University of Bergen analysed the whale's stomach, and found huge amounts of plastic waste (pictured inset). Cuvier’s beaked whales are up to 22ft long and usually feed on squid and deep-sea fish. The mammals do not normally range in Norwegian waters.

The Facebook Stories feature is first being trialled in Ireland, but is expected to be rolled out in more countries in the coming months.

Apple has published a new patent describing a vaporizer that lets users vape both a ‘solid precursor’ and a ‘liquid chemical’, which suggests that it could also be used for marijuana.

Google parent Alphabet Inc posted fourth-quarter profit below analysts' estimates on Thursday, raising concerns that growth in the company's powerhouse advertising business may be slowing.

Scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine in Shaanxi, China have used gene-editing technology, known as CRISPR, to produce cows with resistance to tuberculosis.

Self-taught photographer Oscar Keserci has taken mesmerising nocturnal images of millions of stars over the island of Rhodes, Greece, and at home near Kirkkonummi, Finland.

Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton have excavated 123 individuals from four cemeteries near the remains of a medieval Christian monastery in Sudan.

The 'dark web' are pages that are hosted by web servers using the anonymous web protocol called Tor. Its original purpose was for good, but has also been used by criminals.

Google is using historical parking data to warn users about the parking situation at their destination. Users just plug their destination into the parking difficulty icon to see a score of 'limited', 'medium' or 'easy'.

British supermarket Ocado is testing a soft robotic hand that picks and packs fruits and vegetables in its warehouses. RBO Hand 2 uses flexible fingers to grasp items and could replace human workers.

The global scam sends users an email, appearing to be from Netflix, which ask them to update their membership details. The email includes a link that shows a fake log-in page.

Researchers from around the world, including a team from Google, have unveiled what they say is the first practical blueprint for the 'holy grail' of computing - a quantum computer.

Archaeologists have discovered more than 25 skeletons in the centre of the Cambridge University campus, and expect to discover dozens or more in the coming weeks.

The incredible image was captured by the JunoCam imager on Nasa's Juno spacecraft on December 11, 2016, as the spacecraft performed a close flyby of the gas giant planet.

A new mathematical tool developed by a researcher at Rockefeller University has revealed the rhythm of electrical activity in the brain as it responds to external stimuli, illustrated in colorful diagrams.

In this undated photo made available by NASA, from left, veteran astronaut Virgil Grissom, first American spacewalker Ed White and rookie Roger Chaffee, stand for a photograph in Cape Kennedy, Fla. During a launch pad test on Jan. 27, 1967, a flash fire erupted inside their capsule killing the three Apollo crew members. (NASA via AP)

On Friday's anniversary, the hatch that trapped Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee inside their capsule at the launch pad finally went on display at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

The hybrid animal was created by scientists from Stanford University in California and the University of Tokyo. The same technique could one day be used in humans.

These incredible pictures reveal the strange assortment of plans developers have had to house people or alleviate traffic in the centre of London.

Dozens of families in pollution hotspots in Cornwall could be affected by new 'clean air' proposals, which would lead to some homes being taken from residents under purchasing laws.

The tricky puzzle was posted on Facebook by Butuan, Philippines-based Keril. So far over 1,500 people have attempted to solve the puzzle, with varying results.

The puzzle, which comes from a new book by London-based Alex Bellos, requires you to transform two triangles made from six matches into four triangles, by moving just two matches.

This optical illusion, posted to Playbuzz, features a group of men who are about to engage in a duel. It is claimed that only one per cent of the population will be able to spot the hidden assassin.

The Earth’s magnetic field surrounds our planet, protecting life from harmful solar radiation by deflecting charged particles away. Far from being constant, this field is continuously changing.

Researchers from GUARD Archaeology have excavated the Trusty's Hill Fort in Dumfries and Galloway, and believe this could be the elusive kingdom of Rheged.

Images released from Colblindor, a blog run by Daniel Flück from Zurich, give an idea what the four types of colour blindness people experience actually look like.

At the Sun Temple in Colorado, constructed around AD 1200, researchers from Arizona State University have discovered a slew of sophisticated shapes that are still familiar today.

Massive chunks leftover from the formation of the planets may have been to blame, creating craters on Mars and the moon, and ancient scars that have since been erased from Earth’s surface.

A mathematician from Cardiff University claims naturally occurring acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) could react with a tsunami in a way that forces its energy to spread out, reducing its height.

A researcher from Nottingham Trent University reveals six cosmic catastrophes that could have the potential to destroy Earth including high energy solar flares and an asteroid impact.

The makers of Vespa scooter has built a new two-wheeled vehicle that is not made to carry humans. Called Gita, the cargo robot can haul 40lbs of goods while following behind a human user.

The new picture from the Very Large Telescope uses roughly two billion pictures to display the Cat’s Paw and Lobster nebulae, which sit 5500 and 8000 light-years away from Earth.

The Southern Methodist University has found that a runner's pattern of force application on the ground is due to the motion of two parts of the body, which could help create customized running shoes.

The new images from the Cassini spacecraft provide an unprecedented look at the details of the outer parts of the main rings, revealing a number of interesting features, from ‘straw’ to ‘propellers.’

Researchers at the University of Nottingham, led by Dr Chris King, examined the historic building using 3D scanning lasers.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow played a variety of songs to a group of pets at a rehoming centre in Dumbarton, Scotland.

A UFO hunter claims to have spotted ‘an Iron Man robot’ hitchhiking on Comet 67P. Scott C Waring found the bizarre sighting while examining images from the European Space Agency.

Humans have a much longer and wider penis than other great apes. Even the largest of gorillas, more than twice as heavy as a human, has a penis just two and half inches long when erect.

Researchers from Wits University, in Johannesburg, found evidence for a continental crust beneath Mauritius (pictured), which would have been part of the continent 'Mauritia'.

The skeleton was found in St Mary Magdalen leprosarium near Winchester, Hampshire. University of Winchester scientists say it shows how leprosy spread due to pilgrimages.

Footage captured by the USGS’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reveals the remarkable volcanic ‘firehose’ in action as it produces dangerous blasts that pose a threat both on land and at sea.

Maps from NASA’s Earth Observatory reveal just how extreme the ice loss could be, with some areas surrounding Camp Century expected to shed 10 or more feet from the surface per year.

The strange object, named 2016 WF9, was discovered last year. Self-proclaimed Russian astronomer Dr Dyomin Damir Zakharovich said it is heading straight towards our planet.

Global brands including FedEx, Carrefour and F1, have hidden symbols within their logos, in a bid to make their brands as memorable as possible.

Teams of students have tested their half scale pod designs in a specially built 1km long SpaceX test track - with Delft University taking first prize.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology inspired by a video of a frog playing a video game have discovered the secret behind a frogs high speed, sticky tongue.

Oxfordshire-based Tokamak Energy's technology revolves around high temperature superconducting magnets, which allow for low-power and small-size devices, but high performance.

NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has captured rare ‘behind-the-limb’ solar flares coming from the far side of the sun. The events occurred on October 11, 2013, January 6 and September 1, 2014.

Leaked footage from the company’s first presentation of Handle reveals a robot that looks like the child of the Atlas bot and a Segway, with self-balancing capabilities to prevent falls.

Researchers at Duke University have identified a part of the brain that lets you 'superfocus' on your environment and ignore distractions.

The European Space Agency says the 50m high dome, close to a planned moonbase near to the moon's south pole, would give the first settlers 'a place of contemplation'.

A stunning new map from Imgur user Fejetlenfej shows the complex network of rivers and streams in the contiguous United States, highlighting the massive expanse of basins across the country.